Species extinction poses threat to medical science

As species decline, huge losses to medical science may follow suit.

A NEW generation of antibiotics, new treatments for thinning bone disease and kidney failure, and new cancer treatments may all stand to be lost unless the world acts to reverse the present alarming rate of biodiversity loss, a new landmark book says.

The natural world holds secrets to the development of new kinds of safer and more powerful painkillers; treatments for a leading cause of blindness – macular degeneration – and possibly ways of re-growing lost tissues and organs by, for example studying newts and salamanders.

But, the experts warn that we may lose many of the land and marine-based life forms of economic and medical interest before we can learn their secrets, or, in some cases, before we know they exist.

The new book, Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, is the most comprehensive treatment of this subject to date and fills a major gap in the arguments made to conserve nature. While many books have focused on the expected ecological consequences, or on the aesthetic, ethical, sociological, or economic dimensions of biodiversity loss, Sustaining Life examines the full range of potential threats that this loss poses to human health.

A particularly illustrative example, highlighted by the book’s authors, of what may be lost with species extinctions can be found in the southern gastric brooding frog (Rheobatrachus) which was discovered in undisturbed rainforests of Australia in the 80s. The frogs raise their young in the female’s stomach where they would, in other animals, be digested by enzymes and acid.

Preliminary studies indicated that the baby frogs produced a substance, or perhaps a variety of substances, that inhibited acid and enzyme secretions and prevented the mother from emptying her stomach into her intestines while the young were developing.

The authors point out that the research on gastric brooding frogs could have led to new insights into preventing and treating human peptic ulcers which affect some 25 million people in the United States alone.

“But these studies could not be continued because both species of Rheobactrachus became extinct, and the valuable medical secrets they held are now gone forever,” say Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, the key authors of the book based at the Centre for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School.

Sustaining Life is the work of more than 100 experts and published by Oxford University Press. At the heart of the book is a chapter dedicated to exploring seven threatened groups of organisms valuable to medicine, including amphibians, bears, cone snails, sharks, nonhuman primates, gymnosperms, and horseshoe crabs that underscore what may be lost to human health when species go extinct.

These losses include: promising new avenues of medical research and new treatments, pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tests.

 A giant leaf-tailed gecko from Montagne d’Anjanaharibe, Madagascar.

“The Earth’s biodiversity, much of which has yet to be discovered, provides a unique opportunity to improve not only the health of current but also that of future generations. However as species are lost so too are our options for future discovery and advancement. Thus Sustaining Life provides poignant evidence that biodiversity loss is not merely an environmental issue but one which affects us on a very basic, fundamental and personal level,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, United Nations assistant secretary-general and executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Experts, including the authors, emphasise that the book’s conclusions should not be construed as a licence to harvest wildlife in a way that puts further pressure on already threatened, vulnerable and endangered species. Instead they should be a spur for even greater conservation and improved management of species and the ecosystems they inhabit.

Jeffrey McNeely, chief scientist at IUCN-World Conservation Union and a co-author of the book, said: “While extinction is alarming in its own right, this book demonstrates that many species can help save human lives. If we needed more justification for action to conserve species, this book offers dozens of dramatic examples of both why and how citizens can act in ways that will conserve, rather than destroy, the species that enrich our lives.” – United Nations Environment Programme

Amphibians

The class Amphibians is made up of frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians – little known legless organisms that resemble giant earthworms. Nearly one third of the approximately 6,000 known amphibian species are threatened with extinction. These animals produce a wide range of novel substances, some of which are made only by amphibians living in the wild, not by those in captivity.

 A blue poison dart fron from northern South America. One third of 6,000 known amphibian species are threatened by extinction.

These include:

 

• Pumiliotoxins, like those made by the Panamanian poison frog that may lead to medicines that strengthen the contractions of the heart and thus prove useful in treating heart disease.

 

 

• Alkaloids made by species like the Ecuadorian poison frog, which could be the source of a new and novel generation of painkillers.

 

 

• Antibacterial compounds produced in the skin of frogs and toads such as the African clawed frog and South and Central American leaf frogs.

 

 

• Bradykinins and maximakinins, made in the skin glands of species like the Chinese large-webbed bell toad; Mexican leaf frog, and North American pickerel frog that dilate the smooth muscle of blood vessels in mammals and therefore offer promising avenues for treating high blood pressure.

 

 

• Frog glue, produced by species such as the Australian frog, could lead to natural adhesives for repairing cartilage and other tissue tears in humans.

 

 

• Many species of newts and salamanders, such as the Eastern spotted newt, can regrow tissues such as heart muscle, nerve tissue in the spinal cord and even whole organs.

 

 

• As we are in evolutionary terms relatively closely related to these species, they are vital models for understanding how we might someday harness our own dormant regenerative potential.

 

 

• Some frogs, such as the grey tree frog and the chorus frog can survive long periods of freezing without suffering cell damage – understanding how these frogs do this may yield key insights into how we might better preserve scarce organs needed for transplant.

 

Bears

 A brown bear and her cubs. Bears are hunted for their paws and gall bladders.

Nine species of bear are threatened with extinction including the polar bear, the giant panda, and the Asiatic black bear. The threats to bears are similar to those amphibians face, but in addition many bears are at risk because they are killed for body parts, such as gall bladders, which can command high prices in black markets in places like China, Japan and Thailand.

Several medical benefits have already arisen from the study of bears, including the development of ursodeoxycholic acid, found in the gall bladders of some bear species such as polar and black bears, into a medicine.

The substance is used to prevent the build up of bile during pregnancy; dissolve certain kinds of gallstones; and prolong the life of patients with a specific kind of liver disease, known as primary biliary cirrhosis, giving them more time to find a liver transplant.

Some bear species, known as “denning” bears because they enter into a largely dormant state when food is scarce, are of tremendous value to medicine as they are able to recycle a wide variety of their body’s substances.

Unlike people, who if “bed-ridden” for a five-month period can lose up to a third of their bone mass, bears actually lay down new bone during the denning period. Bears appear to produce a substance that inhibits cells that break down bone and promote substances that encourage bone and cartilage-making cells. Denning bears can survive for a period of five months or more without excreting their urinary wastes, whereas humans would die from the build up of these toxic substances after only a few days. An estimated 1.5 million people worldwide are receiving treatment for end-stage renal disease. By studying denning bears, we may be able to learn how to treat them more effectively and help large numbers to survive. Denning bears may also hold clues to treating Type 1 and Type II diabetes as well as obesity. When produced in a non-invasive and ethically acceptable way, without pushing already threatened species further towards extinction, these substances are of great value to medicine.

Gymnosperms

Close to 1,000 species of Gymnosperms have been identified, including pines and spruces. Evolutionary, they are among the oldest of any plants alive but many groups, such as the cycads, are classified as endangered.

Several pharmaceuticals, including decongestants and the anti-cancer drug taxol, have already been isolated from gymnosperms. The researchers believe many more are yet to be discovered and may be lost if species of Gymnosperms become extinct.

Substances from one Gymnosperm, the ginkgo tree may reduce the production of receptors in the human nervous system linked with memory loss. Thus they may play a role in countering Alzheimer’s disease.

They may also help in the treatment of epilepsy and depression.

Cone snails

Around 700 species make up the cone snails, seven of which were identified only since 2004. While only four are now classified as vulnerable, no thorough assessment has been made in over 10 years; so current listings may under-estimate the true number of endangered cone snail species. For example, almost 70% of some 380 cone snail species surveyed had more than half their geographic range within areas where coral reefs, their main habitats, are threatened.

Cone snail species may produce as many as 70,000 to 140,000 peptide compounds, large numbers of which may have value as human medicines, yet only a few hundred have been characterised.

One compound, known as ziconotide, is thought to be 1,000 times more potent than morphine and has been shown in clinical trials to provide significant pain relief for advanced cancer and AIDS patients. Another cone snail compound has been shown in animal models to protect brain cells from death during times of inadequate blood flow.

It could prove a breakthrough therapy for people suffering head injuries and strokes and may even contribute to therapy for patients with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Other potential developments from cone snail peptides include treatments for urinary incontinence and cardiac arrhythmias.

Sharks

There are at least 400 species of sharks, which, as a group, evolved in ancient seas 400 to 450 million years ago. Many species are now threatened, with some species, such as the scalloped hammerhead, white shark and thresher shark, falling in numbers by as much as 75% over the past 15 years.

Over-fishing has been the main reason for the losses, and has been driven by: an increased demand for shark meat as a substitute for traditional commercial fish catches in foods like fish and chips; the rise in consumption of shark fin soup; increases in by-catch, for example, in tuna fisheries; and an increased market for shark cartilage products for a variety of unproved medical purposes.

Squalamine, a substance isolated from sharks such as dogfish, especially abundant in their livers, may lead to a new generation of antibiotics as well as treatments against fungal and protozoan infections. Studies are also being undertaken with squalamine compounds as possible anti-tumour and appetitesuppressant substances.

Trials are now also underway to see if squalamine can treat age-related macular degeneration which can lead to severe vision loss. The shark substance may halt the growth of new blood cells in the retina, which is linked to a loss of retinal function and blindness in these patients.

The salt glands of some sharks are also being studied to gain insight into how the human kidney functions and how chloride ions are transported across membranes, which may shed light on two diseases – cystic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease.

Sharks, having evolved as some of the first creatures with a fully functioning “adaptive” immune system are irreplaceable models to help us understand human immunity. What potential these creatures may still hold to further our knowledge of immunity is being rapidly depleted with the mass slaughter of sharks and the endangerment of sharks worldwide.

Horseshoe crabs

There are four species of horseshoe crabs, with each organism possessing four eyes and six other light-detecting organs as well as blood that turns cobalt blue when exposed to the air. Because only around 10 offspring survive out of the estimated 90,000 eggs produced by a female, they are highly sensitive to over-fishing.

Once harvested and processed to be used as fertiliser, they are now used as bait for eel and whelk fisheries. Horseshoe crabs are also important in the food chain, especially for birds like the red knott, which rely upon the eggs for fuel over their 16,000km migratory journey Horseshoe crabs also have tremendous value to medicine. Several classes of peptides have been isolated from the creatures’ blood that appear to kill a wide range of bacteria.

Another peptide from the horseshoe crab has been developed into a compound known as T140 which locks onto the receptor in humans that allows the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to gain access into the body’s immune cells. Pre-clinical trails indicate that the substance is at least as effective as the drug AZT at inhibiting the replication of HIV.

T140 has also shown promise in preventing the spread of certain cancers such as leukaemia, prostate cancer and breast cancer, and as a possible treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Other cells in the blood of horseshoe crabs can, for example, detect the presence of key bacteria in the spinal fluid of people suspected of having cerebral meningitis.

From The Star

Amphibian Ark: 5 for Frogs..

AMPHIBIAN ARK JUMP STARTS RESCUE WITH 5 FOR FROGS 

 

Five month campaign to raise $500,000 and save five species of frogs

 

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, USA ( May 1, 2008 )

 

 

 

 

 

Amphibian Ark, a global conservation organization created to raise awareness and rally fundraising to protect endangered amphibian species, announced today the commencement of its 5 for Frogs campaign. 5 for Frogs is a grassroots crusade with the goal of raising $500,000 to save five endangered species in five months.

The ”pay it forward” spirit behind 5 for Frogs asks kids and adults to do something to help frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians through acts of kindness involving the number 5. It could be as simple as someone telling or emailing five people about the looming mass extinction of amphibians. Or, it could be holding a charity car wash or selling cookies to raise $5, $50, or even $500 for Amphibian Ark to allocate to rescue projects. If thousands get involved, each can play a part in saving five or more species from extinction. Fifty ideas for getting involved in 5 for Frogs are listed on the Amphibian Ark Web site at www.amphibianark.org.

The May kickoff of 5 for Frogs starts with a U.S. national FrogWatch on May 3 involving hundreds of students who will monitor the environmental health status of amphibians in their communities through a cooperative effort organized by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) and the National Wildlife Federation. FrogWatch is a volunteer-based program that encourages everyone to help by getting outdoors and monitoring local wetlands for breeding frogs and toads.

“Not since the disappearance of the dinosaurs have we seen an extinction of this magnitude,” said Jean-Michele Cousteau, supporter of Amphibian Ark and founder of the Oceans Future Society.

“Because amphibians are the first to feel the effects of environmental stressors that could ultimately harm humans, and they play a critical role in our ecosystem, the time to act is now.”

In addition to the grassroots activities, 5 for Frogs will feature several global, special events throughout the summer. Five species of amphibians that have not yet been given common names will have their naming rights auctioned, with proceeds earmarked for Amphibian Ark. And, an endangered Mexican species, the Large-crested toad, will receive special visibility on Cinco de Mayo, celebrated, of course, on the fifth day of the fifth month.

 

5 for Frogs

Add One

 

“The Year 2008 has been dubbed The Year of the Frogs by conservationists from around the world to highlight the amphibian crisis and to save the most endangered species from extinction. As a result, the 5 for Frogs campaign could not come at a better time in an attempt to channel these efforts.”

Amphibian Ark is a partnership between the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. It was formed to develop, promote, and guide short term captive management of threatened amphibians, making possible the long-term survival of species for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible. To learn more about Amphibian Ark, the 5 for Frogs campaign, and to review 50 inspirational and creative ways to raise funds for amphibians, please visit www.amphibianark.org

 

A couple of good links related to this project.

5 for frogs fact sheet.

50 ways to save amphibians.

 

Had a quick look in the bushes..

Just to see if I could find any Common vipers / adders. And I did. Here´s a couple of pic´s..

Where Have All The Snake Handlers Gone?

The Depression came late and stayed long in rural America.  A curious ritual became popular during this time in certain Holiness and Pentecostal churches:  snake handling.

George Hensley, a former Tennessee moonshiner, became the father of this movement.  While walking through the woods in 1910, he encountered a poisonous snake.  Picking it up, he marvelled that he was not harmed just as the Bible promised(Mark 16:18).  Hensley would go on to introduce this practice in Appalachian churches and its popularity grew rapidly as a test of a person’s faith.

Snake handling is not without danger.  “There are over 100 documented deaths from serpent bites,” says Ralph Hood, professor of social psychology at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.  ”In every tradition, people are bitten and maimed by them. They risk their lives all the time by handling them. If you go to any serpent-handling church, you’ll see people with atrophied hands, and missing fingers. All the serpent-handling families have suffered such things.”

How do adherents view a person being bitten by a snake?  A variety of explanations are offered from the presence of hidden sin in the person’s life to a lack of faith or anointing of the Spirit.   

Hensley’s death from a snakebite in 1955 combined with many states passing laws against the practice witnessed the decline of snake handling.  Today, only a few dozen churches still engage in this ritual.

Modern Pentecostals explain Christ’s words on taking up snakes without harm by pointing to the Apostle Paul’s experience of being bitten by a viper but not harmed (Acts 28:1-5).  In other words, the sense is the accidental taking up of serpents, not the intentional.

Desperate times create special fervor in religious circles.  Should such times ever return again, the practice of snake handling will hopefully retain its near-extinct status.

Brief history and video of snake handling here!

From Houston Chronicle

OUTDOORS: Snake are important members of the community

Not all encounters with wildlife are pleasant for hunters and anglers. They get stung by yellow jackets, munched on by mosquitoes, bitten by ticks and occasionally attacked by large predators like cougars, grizzly bears and sharks.

But most save a special dose of fear and loathing for snakes, particularly in spring when snakes are more active at the times people are in the woods or on the water. Stephen Secor, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Alabama, believes there’s no real reason for that.

‘Snakes don’t want to be found,’ Secor said. ‘People undoubtedly walk by snakes they never see. A person walks by and they’re not going to do anything. To them, a person is a predator and they want to remain camouflaged.’

That reveals pretty good common sense in snakes. Most snakes that bite people die because the person bitten or someone with them usually shoots or clubs it immediately.

On the other hand, few people bitten by snakes die. Health statistics indicate about 7,000 to 8,000 people a year suffer snake bites. That’s a pretty small number considering the millions of hunters, hikers, anglers, farmers, foresters and loggers who slog around in prime snake habitat every day.

A large percentage of those bitten were handling or harassing the snake when bitten. And only about 15 people die from snake bites annually.

It may be their secretive nature that gives the reptiles their bad reputation. For people who aren’t handling a snake, the bite comes as a complete surprise. They view the snake as the aggressor since they meant it no harm.

But snakes bite as a last ditch defense mechanism, Secor said.

‘These are extremely docile animals,’ Secor said.

‘People don’t think about snakes being docile animals. For an animal in the wild that could potentially do harm to you very few ever do.’

Snakes tolerate human handling better than most wild creatures. An experienced person can frequently pick up and handle a completely wild snake without it reacting in alarm.

‘Go out there and grab a squirrel and see what he does to you,’ Secor chuckled.

Secor doesn’t advocate untrained people picking up snakes; in fact, he discourages it. That’s because some can do humans harm. But he notes that there’s no such thing as a ‘poisonous’ snake.

‘They’re not poisonous,’ Secor said. ‘They are venomous. A mushroom is poisonous. Something that is venomous has a delivery system that injects something into you.’

It may sound like a small distinction to someone who fears snake bite. But Secor believes it’s only the beginning of the lack of understanding most people have of snakes.

‘If you see one, all you have to do is back up a couple of feet,’ Secor said. ‘They can’t come after you. They’re heavy-bodied snakes and can’t move very fast. They can’t strike very far.’

West Alabama has three types of venomous snakes and all three belong to a grouping known as pit vipers. Copperheads, cottonmouth water moccasins and timber rattlesnakes or canebrake rattlers inhabit the region.

Of the three, timber rattler bites are the most dangerous to humans because of the snake’s size and the toxicity of the venom. The snake’s size is relevant because it governs how much venom the snake can inject. Copperhead bites are the least dangerous to humans with water moccasin bites falling in between.

All three have similar venom. It is a mixture of enzymes which destroys tissue, Secor said. When a human is bitten, the tissue around the bite can die. The body’s reaction to the venom is swelling, which can be painful.

About half of all bites are ‘dry bites’ in which the snake injects no venom. And Secor recommends against field treatment, particularly cutting the wound. Victims should head for the hospital.

A good pair of boots is probably the best defense against snake bite, he said.

‘They’re not going to have the power to penetrate through a leather boot, except maybe in a weak spot or a seam,’ he said.

Defensive bites are not meant to penetrate deeply, Secor said. When a snake bites prey, it wants to sink its teeth in, hold on and inject venom. When it’s defending itself, the snake wants to withdraw its teeth quickly and prepare to strike again.

Copperheads are the most common and live in woodlands and scrub, Secor said. They are generally small snakes of two feet or less with a colorful skin pattern that provides excellent camouflage in the woods.

Copperheads become active during the day at this time of year as things are warming up. During the heat of summer, they reserve most of their activity for night.

Feeding on small rodents like mice and chipmunks, copperheads lay in wait to ambush their prey, Secor said.

‘They’re very well camouflaged in that dead leaf litter,’ Secor said. ‘That matches up very well with the markings on them.’

There is little people can do to avoid copperheads since their location in the woods would appear random to people. But they are usually staking out rodent trails that they’ve scented with their tongues.

All people can do is use common sense precautions like watching where they step. Secor said copperheads aren’t very aggressive.

‘I bet many have been stepped on without even responding,’ he said.

Water moccasins are found wherever there is woody cover along the bank of a body of water. While moccasins are snakes found in water, not all snakes found in water are moccasins. A variety of non-venomous water snakes live in this area and virtually all of the snakes found in water without surrounding woody cover, such as catfish and farm ponds, are not moccasins, Secor said.

Unlike water snakes, which live almost exclusively on fish and amphibians, Moccasins will eat just about anything they can swallow, including rodents, birds and other snakes.

Their color, ranging from almost bronze to very dark, varies with age and the region where they live, Secor said. They typically swim with more of their body out of the water than a water snake.

Anglers are sometimes alarmed by moccasins swimming toward their boats. Secor said that isn’t an attempt to attack people. The snake sees the boat as a piece of dry land it can crawl up on.

Again, common sense will help avoid bites from cottonmouths. Secor recommends against stepping into or reaching into areas in wooded cover around water without looking first.

Timber rattlers are found in much the same habitat as copperheads, preferring hilly woodlands. They’re frequently found on hillsides with southern exposure because they warm up faster.

Timber rattlers have a huge range, stretching from New England to Florida. The largest ever recorded was 6 feet, two inches but most never exceed five feet in length.

Feeding on larger rodents, squirrels and even rabbits, timber rattlers also lie in ambush for their prey, Secor said. Their distinctive rattling serves as a warning that should help people avoid bites. But like copperheads, their location may appear random to people.

Timber rattlers have a habit few people are aware of, Secor said. They climb up to 20 feet up into trees, which could provide a hunter climbing into a tree stand with an unpleasant surprise.

Secor argues against killing snakes, even the venomous varieties.

‘These are one of the master controllers of the rodent population,’ Secor said. ‘They’re part of the ecosystem. They’re important members of the community.’

From Toscaloosa news.

As You Know It’s “The Year Of The Frog.”

And As Part Of Our Continued Attempt To Raise Money To Help

It’s Time For Our Decorative Items Sale.

Decorative Items like: Herp Figurines, Copper Snake, Lizard or Turtle Light Light Switch Plates, One Of A Kind Netsuke Sculpture From Japan Of Snakes, Turtles and Frogs, Frog Napkin Holders, Decorative Frog or Turtle Ceramic Tiles You Can Display Or Use As A Trivet, Decorative Frog Picture Frames, Turtle, Frog, Even Flying Dragon Lizard Trinket Boxes, Items From All Over The World—And Of Course More.

So - From Friday April 18th thru Sunday, April 21st

PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM THE DECORATIVE ITEMS DEPARTMENT
AT WWW.HERPARTS.COM (REMEMBER IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE OF A FROG)

10% OF THE PRODUCT’S PRICE GOES TO THE AMPIHBIAN SPECIALIST GROUP

And remember Mother’s Day is around the corner. If you are a mom buy yourself a gift.

Keep in mind a lot of these items are one of a kind.

On behalf of the frogs: rabbit, ribbbit, croak, ribbit. (Thank you for your support.)

Some of the products..

 

 

 

Researchers find rare giant turtle in Vietnam

Biologists have identified a soft-shell giant turtle of cultural significance in northern Vietnam that was believed to be extinct in the wild, researchers said on Thursday.

After three years of searching, Asian turtle experts found, photographed and identified the turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the only known living such specimen, in a lake west of the capital, Hanoi.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in the United States, which sponsored the research, made the announcement in a statement.

“This is an incredibly important discovery because the Swinhoe’s turtle is one of the most critically endangered species of turtle in the world,” Doug Hendrie, the Vietnam-based coordinator of the U.S. zoo’s Asian Turtle Program, said in the statement.

“This species has legendary status among the people of Vietnam, so this is perhaps an opportunity for the legend to live on.”

Researcher Tim McCormack of Education for Nature-Vietnam, which was involved in the project, declined to provide the name of the lake or give other details of the turtle’s location for fear it would be hunted and sold into the wildlife trade.

The zoo said that only three other specimens of the turtle are known to scientists, two at zoos in China and one in the storied Hoan Kiem Lake (The Lake of the Returned Sword) in the centre of Hanoi.

The turtles can weigh up to 136 kg (300 pounds), measure up to 0.9144 metres (3-3.½ feet) and live more than 100 years.

But researchers say they have become virtually extinct because of hunters who killed them for food, loss of nesting habitats and pollution. The Asian Turtle Conservation Network says as many as 15 million turtles are traded a year in Asia, most of them ending up in China.

The reptile in the Hanoi city lake has a special place in Vietnamese folklore and whose appearance some believe to be a portent of an extraordinary event.

The legend tells how the 15th century Emperor Le Loi used a magic, divine sword to drive out Ming invaders from China.

A giant turtle emerged while Le Loi was boating on the lake and told him to return the sword to the Dragon King. The weapon shot from its sheath into the mouth of the turtle, which disappeared underwater.

Since then, the lake previously called Ho Luc Thuy or Green Water Lake, became known as The Lake of the Returned Sword.

More than seven years ago, Vietnamese zoologist Ha Dinh Duc named the reptile, estimated to weigh about 200 kg (440 lb), Rafetus Leloi, in honour of the emperor. (Reporting by Grant McCool;Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

From: Reuters

Court rules in favour of man and his snakes

An environmental court has overruled both the County Council and Gävle municipality in central Sweden, finding there is nothing wrong with a man keeping 47 snakes–20 of which are poisonous–in his apartment.
According to the court, nothing demonstrates that people feel mental discomfort from living near a neighbor with snakes, according to the legal news website Pointlex.

Gävle municipality had denied the man the right to house the snakes in his apartment because “it is generally accepted that many people in society are afraid of snakes.”

And the fear is also justified as it is not unlikely that the snakes could escape, the municipality contended.

In his defence, the snake-man said that an insufficiently grounded fear shouldn’t constitute a nuisance.

The environmental court found that the man had a great deal of knowledge about snakes and that he seemed able to handle them appropriately. He was aware of all applicable animal protection regulations, and the snakes’ living quarters were escape proof, assuming the outer door was closed.

An examination of the case also failed to provide support for the claim that Swedes in general feel discomfort from having a neighbor with snakes.

And even if the snakes make some feel a bit queasy, their concerns can’t be judged from a medical perspective to affect health and welfare in such a way that the snakes be considered a public nuisance according to Sweden’s environmental code.

From The Local

Scientists find first lungless frog

Researchers working in Borneo have discovered the only known frog with no lungs, the team reported Monday.

National University of Singapore biologist David Bickford, the lead researcher, said in a release that the frog, Barbourula kalimantanensis, has an “amazing ability to breathe entirely through its skin.”

The tiny frog, measuring less than 40 mm and weighing 6.5 grams, was found in western Kalimantan, Indonesia, in August by researchers employing new search methods. 

It lives in cold, rushing water and is so rare that the only previous evidence of the species was reported 30 years ago.

The researchers said the frog receives all necessary oxygen through its skin. Among four-legged creatures, only amphibians are known to breathe without lungs — previously only in two families of salamanders and a species of caecillian, a limbless amphibian.

Bickford said it was a “shock” to discover that the species did not have lungs.

“When we did [find the frog] and I was doing the initial dissections — right there in the field — I have to say that I was very skeptical at first,” Bickford said in a release. “It just did not seem possible. We were all shocked when it turned out to be true.”

The researchers hypothesized that the frog may have evolved without lungs, or lost its lungs, in adaptation to the high-oxygen environment of its habitat and the species’ preference to sink, rather than float, which would have been hindered by lungs full of oxygen.

They noted that deforestation and illegal gold mining in the area is threatening both the species and further research into its reproduction, feeding and life. Further studies “may be hampered by the species’ rarity and endangerment. We strongly encourage conservation of remaining habitats of this species,” they said.

The researchers said they tried to be as non-invasive as possible, dissecting only four specimens completely and four partially to confirm the lack of lungs.

The findings are published in the April 8 edition of the journal Current Biology.

From CBC

Rare Toad Spotted Locally

Updated Tuesday, 1pm: THERE was a rare sighting of the European Smiling Toad (Bufo-Wusso) in Middle Rasen this morning, Tuesday.

It was spotted by a group of early risers fishing in the River Rase.

One of them ran home to fetch his father, keen photographer Clem Rassall, who took this close up shot.

By noon it has slunk back into its hole.

The toad is similar in appearance to the UK common toad, Bufo-Bufo, but has a strange, almost human mouth.

It is believed that local holidaymakers returning from the continent, brought it back with them but were put off by its rather pungent smell and released it back in the wild.

It hopped back in the bushes shortly after the picture was taken and expert Olaf Priol said that it was sadly, not expected to survive beyond noon without a mate.

If you h ave seen anything equally rarified, drop us a line as Malc Sellars did with this story.

From Market Rasen Today